JULIE ROBERTS Component President Component of CUPE DELIVERED VIA EMAIL

March 16, 2020

Dr. Theresa Tam, Brenda Baxter Kevin Brosseau Chief Public Health Officer Director General Assistance Deputy Minister, Public Health Agency of Workplace Directorate, Safety and Security ESDC Transport Canada

Dear Dr. Tam, Ms. Baxter and Mr. Brosseau,

CUPE represents roughly 15,000 Flight Attendants at and , Air Transat, Sunwing, WestJet, Encore, , , , Flair, Provincial , and . I am writing you regarding the COVID-19 outbreak on behalf of all the Division members, our members at the Air Transat Component of CUPE and the thousands of Canadians who entrust them with their safety daily. The most common path of this virus’s international spread is associated with air travel with almost all of the cases of COVID-19 currently confirmed in Canada having entered through travel from a foreign country. We know even with the recent travel restrictions in place, it is not possible to restrict the travel of people who may be contagious around the world with 100% effectivity. In this global context, flight attendants are the tip of the spear in the fight to prevent the spread of this new illness. CUPE believes there is a significant lack of guidance to provide strong direction regarding a few very important issues related to the wellbeing of its members. The most recent communication from Public Health Agency of Canada recommended disinfection and sanitation practices for aircraft to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) however, it does not provide guidance to protect flight crews during the flight. It is in this context, that we, the Air Transat Component of CUPE that represents nearly 2,000 flight attendants in the industry, write to express our ongoing concerns in the following topics:

• Lack of appropriate personal protective equipment to keep flight attendants safe; • Transportation of pre-identified symptomatic passengers; • Procedures for symptomatic passengers identified onboard including disinfection of aircraft and harmful chemical exposure; Page 2

• Lack of consistency in messaging to flight attendants from both airlines and public health authorities; • Apparent lack of understanding on the part of health authorities regarding the roles and work habits of cabin crew onboard aircraft; • Lack of procedures to ground aircraft when the basic necessities to protect against the spread of the virus are not available, including but not limited to no, water on board to wash hands or missing N95 masks.

According to the PHAC’s own website: “Significant additional information is still required to identify the cause of the outbreak, to fully understand how the disease is transmitted, and the severity of illness it causes in humans.” Until more is definitively known about how the virus spreads, CUPE believes that stronger additional precautions must be implemented. We believe all three organizations have a significant role in providing guidance for flight attendants as ESDC is the expert in application of health and safety principles, Transport Canada has the best knowledge of airline operations, and Public Health is best positioned to provide expertise in the spread of COVID-19. As a major stakeholder in the nation’s aviation industry, and as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase, it is our firm belief that meaningful consultation with our workgroup must occur and that this needs to happen on an expedited and ongoing basis. To that end, we are formally requesting an urgent meeting with representatives from all three organizations to discuss the above-mentioned items and co-ordinate appropriate guidance for the protections for flight attendants. As the President of the Airline Division of CUPE and of the Air Transat Component of CUPE, I await your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Julie Roberts President, Air Transat Component of CUPE

CC: Air Transat Component Membership Air Transat Component Executive Caroline Bedard, Staff Rep – CUPE National

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